Dream is Collapsing
by PeggsterLover
Summary: Buried alive with no way of calling for help, what starts out as a normal mission quickly turns into a fight for survival for Ethan & his team. And with one agent on the brink of death while another is missing in the snow, how long can hope remain?
1. Chapter 1

_Hello there you wonderful people! So this is my new idea, thank you to the lovely RuinNine for helping me brainstorm for this. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!_

_So this one is a little more serious and whump-friendly than my last few have been. I hope that you enjoy my newest creation._

_The title is taken from a song off the Inception soundtrack. I can't explain too much without giving the story away, but it's basically how something so beautiful can suddenly change in an instant. Hence the dream collapses… Make sense? LOL_

_And nope, I still don't own them… *dreams of owning Brandt and Benji* ;)_

_Anywho, enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Sitting in the dark study of his Chicago home, Jeffrey Barton reached for his telephone. He selected the numbers so gently that the wheel barely made a sound as it turned; once the numbers were dialled and he brought the receiver to his ear. The room around him was majestic and full of everything that made him who he was. A bystander would imagine that the design for this room was handpicked from a book which depicted rooms from days of old, decorated with exquisite furniture and sprinkled with pure elegance. The walls were hidden, floor to ceiling, by tall bookcases, in front of which was a ladder on a track so that all readers could get to their desired book with ease. In the centre of the room sat a grand wooden desk, approximately three meters long and a meter deep. The surface of it was covered with paperwork and other office type items used in his business work. On the corner sat an impressive globe, showing the world in all its glory as it sat underneath a dimly lit lamp. Its features were highlighted in the glow and its colours stood out against the dark brown of the desk. The old telephone sat next to it, the gold of its rims glistening as they caught the light from the lamp. As Barton listened to the ringing of the phone line, he waited patiently for the other man to answer.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Mr Donovan."

"Mr Barton, sir, I didn't expect you to call. Is everything alright?" the voice sounded nervous and he had every right to be. Jeffrey Barton was well known in the criminal world; he had been at the top of his game until he was brought down by a young agent almost fifteen years earlier. Now, Barton spent his time sitting alone in his mansion planning what he would do to get vengeance. If he called you, out of the blue, then something was about to happen.

"Yes, now Mr Donovan, I will be requiring your assistance within the next few days. If this is not convenient then make it convenient."

"Of-of course, sir. What do you need me to do?"

"I will be sending you a file, inside of which you will find information on four people who need taking care of. Now the file will also contain a description of what you need to do in order to complete this task." He pressed a button on his computer and there was a beep indicating that the file had been sent. The silence of the room made the sound seem even louder as it reverberated off each wall. "Have you received the file?"

"Yes, sir. I have it now."

"Good. I trust you will keep me informed along the way. Don't let me down, Gordon. You know the price that will be paid if you do."

"I understand."

"Then I shall speak to you soon." He placed the phone back onto its base and leaned forward, glancing over the four images in front of him. Each showed a person going about their daily routine. He spread them out across the desk and let his fingers caress each one as he whispered. "Benjamin Dunn… William Brandt… Jane Carter…" he paused as his hand reached the last image. Picking it up, he lifted it so that the light from the lamp was shining directly onto it and he smiled.

"Ethan Hunt."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_I know this was only a short one, but I hope that it has got you interested. ?  
>Much love x<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter, you'll be glad to know that the team are in this one and there's a little happiness and fun before things turn sour in the next chapter._

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane pulled up at the airport and saw the guys waiting by the plane. Grabbing her bags, she made her way across the tarmac to her teammates, grinning at them as she walked. It reminded her of Dubai, when her, Benji and Brandt had arrived by the plane before heading to India.

"So we're going to the Alps, huh?" she asked as she approached.

"Yup." Benji flashed her one of his trademark grins as he grabbed a bag off her and took it into the jet.

"Why don't you board, I'll explain the situation when we're in the air." Ethan smiled at her and she nodded, tapping Brandt on the shoulder as a friendly gesture before ascending the stairs after Benji. Their job may be dangerous and they may have faced some horrific scenarios, but Jane couldn't complain when it came to the places they got to visit. Budapest, Moscow, Dubai… now they were jetting off to the Alps. She had a feeling that this mission, regardless of any potential danger, would be full of moments she would never forget.

Once they were all on board and ready to go, the plane began to move, getting them into flight swiftly as they waited for Ethan to explain.

"Right, this mission should hopefully be a straight in and out job. IMF has apparently been tracking this man," he pointed to the screen, where a picture of a man appeared, "Lionel Richardson. He's known to have some serious views on modern issue such as war, poverty and the like. Now, IMF got word that Richardson is in the country to seal a deal on some weapons."

"What kinda weapons we talking here?" Brandt asked.

"Mass destruction." Ethan was straight faced as he spoke; the three agents remained in silence at the revelation. After a few seconds, Benji spoke up.

"A little too familiar for my taste." He muttered, thinking back on the Cobalt mission. No one said anything however it was silently agreed. After that mission, the team had hoped they would have to deal with another job that involved any sort of nuclear weaponry. This must have just been their bad luck. Much like their recent luck with technology.

"We've been asked to keep an eye on him and wait for the meet. We're not sure who the seller is, however we've been ordered to take them out and detain Richardson. Any questions?"

"Uh, yeah. Why are we staying in a shack in the middle of nowhere?" Jane asked. "Won't that be a little, uh, out of the way?"

"If you were going to make a deal on dangerous items, would you want to be in a place where anyone could see? IMF said that some messages that they intercepted indicate that the meeting will take place somewhere near the shack we're holing up in." where there was no more questions, Ethan nodded. "Alright, now let's get some sleep before we arrive. I want everyone on top of their game for this mission so that we can get it sorted as quickly and efficiently as possible."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The team arrived and were greeted by some locals who took them to a car. They were then driven to a building at the base of a snowy mountain where they met an elderly man. He smiled warmly at them and shook Ethan's hand.

"Welcome, my friends." The man spoke with a strong accent however was easy to understand. "We have secured two snowmobiles and a truck for you to get you up to the cabin. I trust you have a pleasant stay." At the man's sentence, Benji nudged Brandt with his elbow. When the analyst turned, Benji mouthed the word 'snowmobile' and proceeded to give a Cheshire cat-like grin, causing Brandt to laugh slightly and shake his head. Ethan nodded at the man before thanking him and making his way through the building, his team following close behind. They reached the back and Jane had to laugh as both Benji and Brandt reverted into little boys at the sight of two shining snowmobiles. She and Ethan watched as they each claimed a certain colour.

"Shot-gun red!" Benji grinned stupidly again, hopping onto the seat.

"I prefer the blue anyway." Brandt winked back and patted the electric blue paint of the vehicle.

"I guess that means we get the truck." Ethan smiled at Jane before holding out his hand to motion for her to step forward.

"I have to say, I'll feel safer in this anyway." She climbed into the front seat and once their bags were secured in the back, Ethan jumped into the driver's seat. The pair watched as Brandt and Benji prepared themselves for the ride, putting on their gloves and goggles before looking at each other.

"Last one there gets the firewood." Brandt shouted over the noise of the engines.

"How nice of your to offer!" Benji replied before revving the engine and taking off, the analyst close behind him. Ethan rolled his eyes before turning on the trucks engine and putting his foot on the accelerator. Jane sat in the passenger seat watching where Brandt and Benji were; she could just imagine one of them falling off or something like that. She didn't fancy having to deal with cuts and bruises when they hadn't even properly begun the mission yet. She turned to look out of the window, taking in the incredibly breath taking scenery around her. Since she was a child, she had wanted to see these mountains for real, up close. Now she was getting her wish. The white of the snow was perfect and it was a complete contrast to the beautiful blue of the sky. A few fluffy clouds floated around the top of the mountain, mixing in with the snow. Amongst the white of the snow, there were a few trees dotted around; the rich green of the leaves standing out in the sea of white around them. After a while, she saw a small brown box appear in the distance; as they got closer she realised that it was their cabin.

They reached the building a few moments after Brandt and Benji, arriving to find the technician bathing in his glory.

"Looks like you get to have the fun of collecting firewood, William." He grinned for the hundredth time since they arrived and took a bow, only to be rewarded with a snowball to the back of the head. He spun round to see Brandt shrugging in feigned innocence. "You bastard!" he laughed, grabbing his own snowball and hurtling it through the air. Brandt tried to duck, turning slightly so the snow crumbled against his shoulder.

"Ok, guys!" Ethan tried not to laugh at them. "Let's get inside and sort out our things. There'll be plenty of time for snowball fights after the mission." He shook his head at Jane before turning to head inside. Before he could, however, he felt two snowballs hit his back simultaneously. Spinning on his heels, he saw Benji and Brandt standing shoulder to shoulder, hands behind their back, looking around as if to say 'where did those snowballs come from?' Ethan looked at Jane and nodded. Before they knew what had hit them, Brandt and Benji found themselves stumbling backwards into the snow as they were hit with multiple snowballs. Benji tripped over his own feet and landed on his butt in the snow.

"Shit! My arse is frozen!" he jumped up with a yelp, sending the group into fits of hysterics. He held up his hands in defeat, heading inside to change his jeans. Brandt couldn't help laughing at the big wet splodge on the back of the tech's pants caused by the snow as he walked inside.

"Ok, let's get inside before anyone gets themselves hurt." Ethan tried to calm his laughter as he spoke, following Benji inside.

About two hundred meters away, sitting on a snow peak, a man watched them. His sat, weapons at the ready, just waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Dun dun duuuuuun! Haha well that was your fun, things are about to get worse next… As the quote from Hot Fuzz (inspired by Bad Boys 2) goes: shit is gonna get real ;)  
>Much love x<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_So here is where things get bad… Like, really bad, for the team… Hope it's good enough for ya all!  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

An hour later, Brandt was outside collecting firewood from the back of the cabin. He crouched on the floor, his jacket wrapped tightly around him, a scarf hugging his neck and a beanie keeping his head safe from the crisp, cold air. The thick gloves on his hands made it a little bit trickier to handle the wood, however he managed it; he was just happy to have a few moments of peace to himself. That was something of a rarity in their line of work, so whenever the analyst got the opportunity, he grasped it with both hands. He paused for a moment and looked around, breathing in through his nose and feeling the stinging of the cold air inside his nostrils. The sun beat down on his face briefly and he felt its warmth as a pleasant contrast to the cool breeze that whirled around him. Taking in his surroundings, he glanced across at the beautiful snowy peaks that seemed to stretch up from every angle.

As he scanned his eyes over the snow, something in the distance caught his eye. Something was glistening in the sun. Shifting in his spot, he placed one hand on the snow beneath him to balance himself and squinted, trying to figure out what it was. He wished he had brought his binoculars with him, because he could have sworn he saw something moving…

"Hey!" Brandt jumped at the sudden voice from behind him, causing him to wobble and land on his butt in the snow with a thud. He turned to see Benji laughing slightly at his expense, a mug of coffee in his hands. "Getting a taste of what I felt before, huh?" he pointed to the floor as Brandt struggled to his feet, hands brushing the snow from the back of his jeans.

"I guess." Brandt smiled as Benji offered the mug to him.

"I figured you could do with something to warm you up a little." As the warmth of the mug disappeared from his un-gloved hands, Benji blew into them and rubbed them together to generate some heat. "So, you need a hand here?"

"I should be fine, thanks. Besides, I never back down on a bet." Brandt bent back down to pick up some of the firewood when suddenly he heard something. He thought it was funny to hear something that was clearly in the distance, however their surroundings caused any noise to echo around them. "Did you hear that?" he glanced around, looking for the source of the noise when there was an unexpected whooshing sound followed by a grunt from behind him. He spun around to see Benji beginning to keel over, clutching at the side of his stomach where a large piece of, what looked like, metal was now impaled. Attached to the end of the metal was a piece of rope that stretched as far as he could see. "Oh my God, Benji!" he moved to catch his friend before he fell, however suddenly the rope tightened and Benji flew through the air, tumbling into the snow. Brandt grabbed the axe he had been using for the firewood and ran after him, watching the tech grapple at the rope in an attempt to reduce the tugging on his body, noticing the snow around him turn a horrifying shade of crimson. "Ethan! Jane! Help!" Brandt yelled as he followed his friend, relieved when he finally stopped moving.

Skidding to his knees next to his friend, he fumbled with the axe and tried to cut the rope when suddenly it began to pull again. Benji yelled in agony and Brandt grabbed the rope, pulling back on it to try and lessen the force that it placed on the technician's stomach. He heard Ethan and Jane running towards them and turned.

"Quick!" he cried, seeing them pick up the pace when they caught glimpse of what was happening. "Just hold on, Benji, I'm gonna get you outta here, ok? Hold on!"

"Benji!" Jane screamed, collapsing to her knees as she reached them.

"What the hell happened?" Ethan asked, crouching next to Brandt.

"I don't know!" Brandt replied, frantically trying to break the rope as he spoke. "This thing just came out of nowhere and-" he was cut off by a low rumbling sound. "Oh, what now?" the group looked up at the nearest mountain and their stomachs dropped. Rolling down the mountain at a terrifying speed was masses and masses of snow.

"Oh my God…" Jane gasped.

The avalanche hurtled towards them as they tried even faster to free Benji, who was now drifting in and out of consciousness. Jane tried to keep him awake, but he couldn't keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Hurry Brandt!" Ethan yelled, suddenly hearing gunfire. The snow around them exploded as they tried to dodge the bullets. Jane screamed as one caught her arm, causing her to stumble backwards on the impact. "Jane!"

"I'm fine, Ethan, just get Benji." She grimaced at the all too familiar pain from the wound as it began to take over her entire body. However, she knew that the pain she felt wouldn't be a patch on what the technician was feeling. She heard a sudden yell from Brandt.

"Got it!" she saw the rope slacken and the group got to their feet. She helped Ethan get Benji to his feet and only let go once the man had lifted him into his arms. Behind her, she heard more gunfire; however this was closer than before. Turning, she saw that Brandt had pulled out his gun and was firing into the distance. She ran inside and waited in the doorway for Ethan as he ran, nearly stumbling along the way. A bullet hit one of the beams on the veranda, the wood exploding as Ethan passed it, resulting in pieces flying into both him and Benji. She winced as she saw splinters catch both men in the face while a rather large piece of wood lodged itself in Ethan's shoulder. Once they were inside, she turned to Brandt, who was now running towards the cabin.

"Brandt! Come on!" she shouted, though her words were virtually lost in the roaring of the snow that was getting far too close for comfort. She joined Ethan inside who was approaching the dining table and cleared everything off, throwing items onto the floor so that the team leader could place Benji onto it. When he was lying on the surface, she noticed that the metal was still protruding from his stomach and he had now lost consciousness completely. He lay near the edge of the table so that the metal that had come through on the other side would not push back in. Turning to the door, she could see Brandt approaching and her heart was racing. She heard Ethan say something behind her; she wasn't sure what, however moments after she turned to him, the cabin shook. Looking around frantically at the ceiling and walls, she prayed that they would hold as the snow pounded against them. She glanced at Ethan's terrified face, noticing the blood that dripped down the side of his face near his ear. Benji had a similar injury drawn across his cheek.

After what seemed like forever, the sounds and movement stopped, leaving the room in silence. Ethan and Jane turned to the door and froze when they saw that the gap of the open door was completely blocked off by snow and the space where Brandt should have been was empty.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Uh oh! xD poor Benji! Poor Ethan! Poor Brandt! Poor Jane!  
>Oh and foxy: Ethan may not have been whumped on much yet, but I have some nice evil planned for him a bit later ;)<br>Much love x_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry this one is short, however you Brandt-girls will be happy to know that it's all your boy xD  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt's head was pounding as he stirred from his unconscious state; his senses returned, pulling with them the pain in his head and the aching in his body. He was lying on his stomach; the surface under his torso was solid, however it changed from his hips downwards. Reaching into his breast pocket, he found a lighter and quickly lit it. Glancing around, he noticed that his entire upper body was enclosed in a small area and had some room to move; unusual considering he was just caught in an avalanche. He thought back on what had happened.

_"Got it!" Brandt cried as the axe slid through the last fibres of the rope. He saw Ethan lift Benji into his arms and decided to fight back for his friend. Pulling his gun from the back of his jeans, he aimed in the direction of the gunfire and pulled the trigger. More shots filled the air as their attackers fired back and Brandt stood up. He started to run towards the cabin, continuing to fire behind him as he did._

_"Brandt! Come on!" he heard Jane cry and picked up his pace. A sudden surge of pain shot through his body and the gun flew from his grasp as a bullet hit the back of the hand holding the weapon. The unexpected agony caused him to stumble and he slipped, hitting the ground with a thud. As he looked up, he saw the snow getting terrifyingly close and rushed back to his feet. The cabin was getting nearer._

_Ten meters…_

_Seven meters…_

_Four meters…_

_He was almost at the veranda when the snow finally reached him. With one last rush of energy, he threw himself forwards, hurtling through the air towards the open door, but he was too late. He found himself tumbling as the snow encased him and his upper body hit the veranda. With his uninjured hand, he grabbed hold of one of the beams and held on tight, his only hope that he could hold on long enough to prevent the snow from carrying him with it. He heard a crashing sound above him and looked up to see the roof of the veranda beginning to fall towards him. He wrapped his arm around his head and waited to die as a piece of heavy wood landed on his head and plummeted him into darkness._

Using the light from the small flame, Brandt looked up and saw that during the avalanche, the veranda had fallen but had been stopped by one of the beams. This meant that Brandt's upper body was protected from the falling snow. However, from the hips down, he was completely enveloped in the icy cold substance; his legs had gone numb from the cold however he had a feeling there would be some damage. He sighed and brought his hand up into the light, peeling off his glove and examining the injury caused by the gunshot. It appeared that the bullet had been a through and through, travelling right into the back of his hand and out of the palm. He would probably need his hand reconstructing when he got out of there.

_If_ he got out of there…

He wondered how Benji was. He had been rapidly losing a lot of blood when he last saw him and was barely holding onto consciousness. Also, he hoped that Jane's arm was ok. At least they both had Ethan to look after them. He gave one last look around before closing the lighter and resting his head on his arms. He needed to conserve his energy if he planned on getting out of there.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well, how was that?  
>Much love x<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_So once again I am proving to have no will power… Maybe it was a bad idea writing out most of my story before starting to post it… LOL then again, I'm sure you guys won't really complain… xD  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Where's Brandt?" Jane was breathing quickly and her breaths were shallow. She ran her fingers through her hair as she panicked. Ethan pulled the wood from his arm and approached her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Jane, please let me look at your arm." He spoke softly however Jane noticed that his voice was wavering, he was clearly worried too. She looked down at her injury. Her arm was throbbing but she didn't care. One of her friends was on the brink of death and the other was missing. Her arm could wait. However, she knew that Ethan wouldn't stop until she had let him deal with it and also, she needed to remain in good shape in order to help Benji and Brandt. She nodded and sat down, a tear escaping her eye as she thought of where Brandt could be. Ethan noticed the tear and brushed it away with his thumb. "It's gonna be ok."

"How do you know?" she always tried to be optimistic, however right now it was rather difficult to do so. "Benji is dying, Ethan. Brandt is missing and we're trapped under God knows how many feet of snow with no way of contacting anyone for help… how can you be so sure?"

She did have a good point. However he was their leader. He needed to keep their spirits up. Usually that was Benji's job, but right now it was up to him. He lifted the cloth he was holding to Jane's arm and began to wipe away the blood. Thankfully the bullet had gone straight through the muscle of her bicep and come out the other side. That meant one less wound to remove something from.

"Look, Benji is a fighter. He knows we're here and that we're gonna help him. Brandt… he's a tough guy. He is strong and I just know he will be alright. As for us… well, I guess we just have to do what we do best and find a way out of a sticky situation. But for that, I need you to trust me and understand that we're going to be ok." He felt relieved when she nodded. "Good. Now let's get this arm patched up."

He removed as much of the blood as he could and patched it up before grabbing a bandage from the first aid box. Once it was wrapped around and secured, she got to her feet and thanked him. A small cough broke their silence and the pair looked across at Benji, who was beginning to wake. He remained still for a few moments before the pain hit him again and he began to writhe on the table. Ethan rushed over to him and grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the table to stop him moving.

"Benji! Stop! Stop moving, please!" he tried to calm the younger man down. "Benji look at me, look at my eyes ok." Benji complied, two pain-filled blue eyes resting on his own. "That's it, Benji. Now I want you to keep looking at my eyes ok." He didn't want Benji to look down and see the metal.

"Ethan…" Benji tried to speak but his voice was weak with the pain.

"It's ok, Benji. We're here." Benji looked from Ethan to Jane, then back to the leader.

"Where's… Brandt?" he asked, his voice merely a breathy whisper. Ethan and Jane exchanged a glance, not knowing what to say. They didn't want to lie however they knew that telling him while he was in this state would not be good for him. Ethan decided to ignore his question for now and try to get Benji's mind onto something else.

"Ok, Benji, we need to take a look at your injury here. I need you to stay still." He was relieved when the tech appeared too weak to argue or ask again. "Jane, can you just…" he motioned to Benji's torso, not wanting to ask her to restrain him out loud. She nodded and moved around to his head, grasping his biceps in her hands to pin him down. If he moved too much he would only cause himself more pain. Ethan moved to the side where the metal was and bent down. When he looked underneath Benji, he felt his insides to flips. "We need to get him on his side." He told Jane, who helped him roll their friend onto his shoulder. Once he was balanced, the pair looked at what Ethan had seen.

The end of the metal that stuck out of Benji's back was designed like an arrow, making it impossible for them to remove from either end.

"This looks like it came from a crossbow." Ethan spoke quietly, hoping that in his semi-conscious state Benji wouldn't hear.

"Who can shoot a crossbow from that far and hit a target?" Jane asked, the words escaping her mouth before she realised that she had just referred to her friend as a 'target'.

"Someone who was well trained." Ethan's voice was monotonous. "And someone who was specifically aiming for a person." He began to piece things together in his head. They had been sent on a mission, as they had been in the past. They were sent to a cabin in the Alps where they were ambushed. It almost sounded like the people who attacked them knew they were going to be there. As far as they knew, IMF were the only people aware of what they were doing up there; to everyone else they should have been just tourists. So that meant… "I think we may have a mole in IMF…"

"What?" Jane was confused. "What makes you think that?"

He shook his head. "I'll explain after we get this thing out of Benji."

The pair went to work. Jane grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen and began to cut through Benji's jumper and shirt, hoping that the cold wouldn't affect him anymore than it already had. Once he was shirtless, Jane couldn't help feeling sick at the sight of his wound. She noticed that he was beginning to drift away every now and then. The two agents formulated a system so that they always managed to support Benji on his side and not let him fall.

"Ok, Jane, I need you to find me either a saw or bolt cutter."

"What?" she saw where he was going with this. "Won't that cause him even more pain?"

"Yeah, we just have to minimise the movements as we cut. Look I know it's gonna hurt him, but it's gonna be better than if we just leave it in." Jane swallowed hard before nodding and disappearing into other rooms of the cabin. He prayed that there was something suitable in here. This was a cabin in the middle of nowhere that would have to sustain itself due to its isolation. Hopefully it would have the tools they would need to save Benji's life. He began to think about Brandt and where he was. He had tried to convince Jane that he would be ok; however he was having a hard time convincing himself of that fact. Shaking his head, he tried to force that thought out of his mind. He needed to deal with Benji before anything else.

_Please be ok, Brandt._

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_How was it? Let me know!  
>Much love x<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_So here's the next chapter it has everyone in this one :)  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane eventually returned with a jagged metal saw, her face displayed the concern she held for this plan but she knew that it was their only option. Benji would stay on his side, Jane supporting him while Ethan sawed the head of the arrow off. Once that was detached, they would be able to remove the remainder of it with a bit more ease. It was risky, as the saws movements would cause the arrow to wriggle, so Ethan would need to keep hold of the metal to ensure that it didn't make the wound worse.

"Benji?" Ethan approached the tech, who had closed his eyes again. He saw his friend's eyes open, tears of pain already threatening to fall. "Are you ready?" he asked. He was given a nod in return and he took in a deep breath. "Ok." He grabbed Benji's cut up shirt from the floor, rolling it into a long thin strip before holding it in front of Benji's face. "Open wide." He saw the tech's confused face at the demand. "You gotta bite down on this, it'll help. Please." He begged, relieved when he saw Benji open his mouth. He placed the shirt inside his mouth and moved around to the other side of the table.

"Where do you, um… where do you want me?" Jane asked, stumbling over her words due to her nerves.

"Uh, maybe stand by his head, make sure you keep him as still as possible. He's gonna want to move around while I'm doing this." Ethan's words made her feel even more uneasy as she grasped Benji's front and back, securing him in place. "Ok." Ethan breathed, lifting the saw up to the metal of the arrow just below the head. Placing the blade against the thin cylindrical metal, he wrapped his left hand around it, the outside of his hand resting against Benji's skin. He needed to keep the arrow as still as possible otherwise it would worsen both the wound and the pain that Benji would endure. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a deep breath and began to move the saw; backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Despite his white-knuckle grasp on the arrow, the metal still began to move slightly and Benji began to scream into the shirt. After the first few movements of the saw, he felt the teeth begin to sink through the metal.

It was working.

The more he sawed, the more Benji screamed. He looked around at the technician's face to see tears streaming down his red cheeks as he sobbed and yelled countless obscenities into the shirt. Glancing at Jane, her face was also wet with tears as she tried to block out her friend's agony filled cries. Ethan felt his own eyes welling up as he continued to saw through the arrow. Even though he knew he would have to cause Benji more pain before he could make the pain go away, he still felt awful for what he was putting the man through.

Suddenly, without warning, Benji's screams stopped. Ethan froze, fearing the worst. He reached a blood soaked hand to the tech's neck and felt a reassuring drumming under his fingers. With a sigh, he nodded at Jane. Maybe it was for the best that he had passed out – at least now he wouldn't be as aware of the pain. Ethan continued to saw, feeling a fraction better now that Benji's screams had been silenced. It took longer than the agent would have liked, but he soon felt the saw slip through and the arrow head fell to the wooden floor with a thud. Silence followed for a brief moment as Ethan tried to start breathing again – when had he stopped?

"Ok, Jane, get those bandages." Ethan took over supporting Benji's weight as she ran and bundled the white material into her arms. Once she had placed them on the table and regained her hold on the tech, Ethan examined the metal for any shards that would risk more internal damage as it was pulled through Benji's body. They couldn't be sure if any organs had been hit or how much blood he had lost, so they needed to be careful, just in case this action caused things to go from spectacularly bad to even worse. Ignoring the jabs that the metal caused in his fingers, Ethan removed the bigger shards and once he thought it was safe, he stood up straight. "Right, I'll hold one patch, you take the other. As soon as you see that the arrow is completely out, cover the wound with your patch. I'll do the rest." Jane nodded at his instructions and Ethan placed one white patch on the end of the arrow. He began to pull, as swiftly and carefully as he could. When the end disappeared into Benji's back, the patch was pressed down on his back to slow any blood flow. With a final yank of his wrist, the arrow was completely free and Jane was slamming the other patch down onto Benji's stomach. As the sound of metal kitting the floor resounded off the walls, Ethan grabbed the long bandage, placing it against the patch he held. Lifting up Benji's arm, he passed the bandage under it and covered the second patch. The pair worked to wrap the bandage around and around Benji, securing both wounds under layers of protection.

They fastened the end of the bandage and rolled Benji onto his back before taking a step back. The tech remained unconscious and the two agents stood in silence, hoping that they had made the right decision in removing the arrow. Ethan approached Jane and draped his arm over her shoulders as they thought on their other worry.

Brandt.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, however he woke with a start when he thought he had heard something. It sounded like someone screaming, someone yelling out in pure agony, but he knew he must have been dreaming about it. There was no way that he could hear anyone or anything due to the thick layers of snow between him and the outside world. It was so silent that if it hadn't been for Brandt's own breathing, he would have feared he was deaf. Not a single gust of icy cold wind could be heard as he lay beneath the snow. There was no point in calling for help. He wished he could try to wriggle his way through the snow, but he knew that the slightest movement could result in the support above his head collapsing.

Another worry for him was how long he could last with the air he had. He wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but he was trapped in a little bubble along with a certain amount of air. If that was all the air he had, how long would it be before he began to suffocate?

_Crushed to death or suffocate… decisions, decisions… _

Brandt rolled his eyes as he felt around to double check how much room his upper body had. There was about two foot in front of him and about a foot to each side. Thinking back on the moments just before the snow caved him in, he remembered that he hadn't been too far away from the door. With any luck, he might be close enough to push his way through.

He suddenly stopped himself.

That thought was crazy, right? There was no way he could pound through who knows how much snow. Besides, even if he did, he might be opposite a wall. Or the door would probably be shut by now.

_Forget it, Brandt. It's over._

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Hope it was up to standards :D  
>Much love x<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_So this one is pretty long & I hope that it is up to expectations. The Brandt girls might like this one ;)  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane walked across to where Ethan sat next to their sleeping friend. They had now raised Benji's head with a pillow and covered him with a quilt to keep him warm. The tech looked far more peaceful than he had when he was awake. Unfortunately, he would remain in pain until they could get him to a hospital, which wasn't looking like it would be any time soon. Ethan sat next to Benji's head, reaching across to his neck every so often to check that his pulse was still ok. As Jane reached him, she saw the now dried stain on his shoulder. Reaching up, she pulled down the side of his jacket. When he looked up at her, she met his gaze.

"Let me clean this up." She demanded.

"I'm okay, Jane. How's your arm holding up?"

"My arm is fine, Ethan. Stop beating around the topic." She placed her hands on her hips in order to attain an authoritative stance as she spoke. "If you leave it as it is, it could get infected and there is no way you can take proper care of Benji if you're ill." Ethan waited for a few moments before reluctantly nodding and beginning to pull his jacket off. Jane grabbed the first aid kit and grabbed the necessary items. With one bandage on her own arm and another keeping Benji's wound safe, they were already running low however they needed their team leader. Once Ethan's shirt was off, she assessed the injury and began to clean the wound.

"So what exactly did you mean before?"

"Before?" Ethan tilted his head to the side at her ambiguous question.

"When you said you think there's a mole in IMF. What makes you think that?"

"Well, as far as we know, IMF are the only people who knew we were here. That attack seemed… personal. It couldn't be just coincidence that they ambush a cabin in the middle of the Alps where four agents are staying. Someone had to know we were here. My only current theory is that we were sent here under false pretences. Someone needed to get us here and used an agent to do so."

"Doesn't that seem a little farfetched?" Jane asked, not wanting to believe that an agent within their own workplace would help someone try to kill them.

"Do you have any better ideas? Cos I'm all ears." Ethan asked. Silence fell over the pair as Jane realised that her friend was right. Neither of them wanted to believe it, but it really did seem like their only option. She sighed, finishing off cleaning Ethan's wound before wrapping it up. Looking at his eyes, she noticed that his face was drained.

"Ethan, why don't you go and get some sleep. I'll watch over Benji and I promise to come and get you if anything changes." She knew he would ask certain questions so answered them both in one go. She could see he wanted to refuse, wanted to keep watch, however a timely yawn escaped his lips and there was no way he could deny his exhaustion. With a final nod, he rose to his feet before slowly making his way upstairs to the bedroom. The clock told them that it was approximately midnight. It would be far too dark at this time for anyone to come looking for them – that was, if anyone was looking for them. As far as IMF knew, they were on a mission; lack of contact probably meant they were too busy dealing with their job. And who would be looking for a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere? With Benji in dire need of medical assistance and Brandt still missing, hope was fading fast; but they had to cling to what little hope that remained.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt tried to move his legs slightly, feeling a small shift in the snow around them. The only problem with that was, if he tried to crawl forward, he didn't have anywhere to go. He sighed and let his head fall forward onto the wood beneath him. This was ridiculous. Why couldn't they just get an easy, quick mission? Was it too much to ask for? This one had seemed too good to be true, but in Brandt's experience, when that phrase could be used to describe something, it was generally an accurate choice of words. Things never seemed to go right for them, and whenever they did, it was some sort of fluke. Technology failed time and time again, their cover had been blown numerous times; it seemed like anything that could go wrong for them would most definitely go wrong. This time was no different.

What did any of them do to deserve this? They were good people. They did things for the greater good. Sure, they all had secrets from their past, but nothing on such a scale that this was sufficing punishment. Jane was a kind woman who looked out for her team. She always gave her all; even in Mumbai when she had been shot in the stomach she still forced herself to aid Benji. But now she had been shot in the arm and was trapped in that cabin, no doubt without means of calling for help. Then there was Benji. Despite being able to shoot a man when his friend's life was at risk, he was a sweet, almost timid guy who wouldn't hurt someone unless he really had to. At that very moment, however, he was probably lying in there close to death; Brandt hoped that he was even still alive.

Finally, Ethan. That man had given so much, risked his life so many times for other people. He was one of the bravest men he had ever met; how many people would have scaled the Burj Khalifa – the worlds' tallest building, Brandt reminded himself – for the sake of other peoples' lives? He could almost picture his friend inside that cabin under stress that he did not need. He wasn't sure if the man was injured but he hoped that he wasn't. With both Benji and Jane already hurt, he knew that if Ethan had received any sort of injury, he would try to ignore it, wanting to concentrate on his team's safety. He was the sort of man who put other people first, wanting to take care of them before himself. That would get him in some serious trouble one day, however Brandt hoped today would not be that day.

Brandt wasn't sure what caused it, but he was overwhelmed with a sudden surge of energy that cried for him to move. He needed to help his team.

Gently lifting one arm, he reached out and touched the snow in front of him, brushing at it with his uninjured hand. A handful of the white substance moved, causing him to freeze and wait for the veranda to collapse on him.

It didn't.

Opening his eyes – which, he didn't realise, had closed – he brushed at the snow again, moving more of it and still not sensing any dislodgement of the veranda above him. Was this that fraction of hope he had been clinging to? Was he, for once, having a little luck? Continuing to gently brush the snow aside, he felt something good building up inside him. If he could just make it through to the wall of the cabin, he could knock on the wood and let them know he was there. That he was alive.

He kept moved the snow quicker now, praying that he would be able to make it. It took a few minutes, but he soon felt something solid against his fingertips. His heart leapt when he caressed it to find that it was wood. Was it the wall or was it the door?

_Please let this work…_

He formed a fist with his shaking hand and knocked against the wood a few times.

And that's when his surroundings began to shift.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane sat watching Benji sleep, not knowing what to do with herself. Ethan was hopefully asleep by now and Brandt was still missing. She knew Ethan was just trying to keep her from having a complete mental breakdown, but even he couldn't deny that right now their chances were slim.

If Benji didn't get medical attention soon, she feared they might lose him and she couldn't be sure that Brandt was even still alive. Things were going from bad to worse very quickly. She suddenly heard something next to her. Looking over, she saw that Benji's eyes were opening.

"Hey." She turned slightly to face him. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh… Like crap… Are you ok?" typical Benji – worrying about others no matter what state he was in.

"I'm fine."

"Where's Brandt?" he asked, a small cough escaping his lips as he spoke. Jane didn't know what to say.

"Just go back to sleep, Benji…" she began but he cut her off by grabbing her hand.

"Jane… Please… Where is he? Is he alright?" she could hear his voice wavering as he spoke. She knew that the more they avoided the question, the more worried he would get. But she didn't know what telling him would do.

"Brandt is…" what should she say? "Resting. He's getting some sleep."

"He's ok then?" Benji's voice was almost child-like, reminding her of how vulnerable they all were in their current predicament.

"He's always alright." The comment was almost to reassure herself more than Benji. Reminding herself that Brandt would be ok. "Now get some more rest." She watched as his eyes drifted closed again and he once again was pulled under by sleep. She closed her eyes to prevent a tear escaping, taking in a deep breath as she stood up and went to check on Ethan. She was almost at the stairs when she heard something.

Was that knocking?

It happened again, this time a bit more frantic.

Definitely knocking!

She rushed to the door and threw it open, gasping when she saw a hand surrounded by snow.

"Oh my God!" she couldn't believe it. Running to the stairs she yelled for Ethan before rushing back to the door and grabbing the hand. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned to see Ethan at her side. Grabbing the hand with her, they began to pull, hoping that they didn't cause any further injury. Snow tumbled into the cabin as they pulled the limp analyst towards them.

"Come on, pull…" Ethan mumbled, whether it was to himself or Jane was unclear, but they both continued to dislodge their friend from the snow. When he suddenly came free, the pair stumbled backwards, landing on the hard floor with their unconscious friend. Rushing to his side, Ethan pressed two fingers to his frozen neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. "Quick, get some blankets." He ordered Jane as he removed Brandt's soaked jacket and jeans. He covered the analyst with the thick blankets Jane provided and proceeded to pick him up. "I'll take him upstairs and keep an eye on him. Stay with Benji." Jane nodded and took her place watching over one unconscious agent while Ethan cared for the other.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So Brandt is safe! Let me know your thoughts. I don't know whether Brandt's escape would be plausible, but I hope it's ok how I've written it.  
>Much love x<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry this one is only short but I hope it's worth it :)  
>Things are gonna get a lot worse for our team before they even consider getting better :P<br>Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Warmth.

Brandt felt slightly confused by the warmth that surrounded him as he began to wake. He had lost consciousness surrounded by freezing cold snow and now he was waking up nice and warm. Either he'd died or missed something in between. As he continued to wake up a bit more, he noticed that he was lying on a soft bed with a lovely pillow underneath his head. Opening his eyes, he looked around to see that he was in a room, not trapped in the snow anymore. The room was dimly lit with curtains drawn over the small windows. Glancing to his right, he noticed that Ethan was sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room.

He looked down and saw that his hand had now been bandaged up and was not hurting quite as much. Sitting up, he noticed Ethan beginning to stir.

"Welcome back." the leader smiled as he rose from his seat, stretching as he approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Don't ask… How long was I out?" Brandt asked, propping himself up with the pillow. Ethan looked at his watch.

"Well, it's been about five hours since we found you. I'm not sure how long before that though." Ethan looked sincerely at the analyst. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but by some bizarre change of luck, I got trapped on the veranda. I tried to claw my way through the snow to reach the cabin and just when I got to the door, the whole thing collapsed on me. That's all I remember." He stared into space for a moment, the feelings of the snow freezing him rushing back in an instant. Suddenly, he remembered. "Where's Benji? Is he ok?"

"He's still sleeping. We managed to get the arrow out and bandage him up, but he needs to get to a hospital." Brandt nodded as Ethan spoke and tried to think of what they could possibly do. No doubt their phones wouldn't work under there – they probably wouldn't even work above the snow considering their location. Turning to the window, he noticed something.

"What time is it?"

"Five thirty in the morning, why?"

"The sun should be rising soon, right?"

"Should be, yeah. Why?"

"Do you see that?" Brandt pointed at the window and Ethan saw when he meant. Throwing open the curtains, they saw a small slither of light at the top of the window. "The snow must only go up to there. Maybe there's a way we can get out."

Ethan turned to the analyst. "You're a genius!" he exclaimed, opening the windows. Brushing the snow aside and pulling some inside, the gap grew bigger. "If we can make this gap big enough, we might be able to make it outside." Brandt moved to climb out of the bed and noticed that his foot had also been strapped up. Ethan turned and saw his inquisitive look. "You damaged your ankle; pretty badly, by the looks of it. We had to wrap it up for you. It was all we could do though, I'm afraid."

"Thanks." Brandt stood and virtually hopped to the window, glancing at the widening space. The smell of fresh air had never felt as good as it did in that moment. The sunlight began to shine through more and more, tingling Brandt's skin as it crept through the gap. He couldn't help smiling as the gap became larger and their chances of getting out of there increased at the same rate.

"I'll go and get Jane and Benji." Ethan smiled and rushed out of the room, leaving Brandt to stare out at the wonderful world outside. Turning around, he grabbed some clothes and got changed, throwing on his shoes in preparation of going outside into the snow again. After spending so long trapped underneath it, he had seen enough snow to last him for a lifetime, but it was their only way of getting out of there alive. Turning back to the window, however, he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Jane reached the bedroom, Benji lying unconscious in Ethan's arms as he made his way to the window. He could see that Brandt was already outside waiting.

"Pass Benji up, Ethan." He spoke in a serious tone as he reached out for Benji. Jane quickly put a shirt over Benji's head so he wouldn't feel the cold and Ethan passed him up. Brandt pulled him through the gap and they lost view of him. Brandt then returned, holding out a hand to Jane, who gratefully took it and climbed outside. Ethan went last, making his way up to the top of the snow. Brushing the white powder off his knees, he stood up straight, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him.

Three men stood before him, each had one of his team in their grasp with a gun to their head. There was a helicopter to his right and standing behind his friends was a man that Ethan had never wanted to see again.

"Barton…"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_  
><em><br>Dun dun duuun! Like I said. Things are gonna get a whole lot worse for our awesome foursome…  
>Much love x<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_Ok, Alex Kade, you have won! Hahaha here's the next update – and the last one for today! I actually have caught up with myself and haven't finished the next chapter yet so you just HAVE to wait xD  
>Anywho, lots of whump in this chapter. Let's see, we got Brandt whump, Benji whump, Ethan whump and Jane whump… That just about covers it.<br>Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Hello Ethan. Long time no see." Barton circled Ethan as his three men maintained their hold on the three agents. Brandt balanced himself on his uninjured foot with his captor holding the back of his shirt tightly. Jane had her head pulled back slightly where the man behind her was pulling on her hair. Benji, meanwhile, was being roughly held up as he remained oblivious to what was happening to them. Barton continued to speak, playing with the gun in his hands. "It must be, easily, fifteen years, am I right?" he swung the gun out and caught Ethan in the side of the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Get up!" Barton spat as Ethan shook away the black spots. The agent climbed to his feet, bringing a hand to the sensitive cut that now sat under his eyebrow. Blood dripped down and leaked into his eye, causing him the need to blink rapidly.

"What do you want?" Ethan asked, worried that something else might happen to his friends before this was resolved.

"What do I want?" Barton repeated, walking in a line in front of the agents. Glancing at each hostage in turn, he stopped in front of Jane. "That's a nice gunshot wound you've got there, Agent Carter. Shall we give you another to match?" with that, Barton fired his gun into her uninjured shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as the bullet ripped through her shoulder and out the other side, disappearing into the snow. As an unintentional tear rolled down her cheek, Barton smiled maliciously at her before turning back to Ethan. "I want you to come with me."

"What?" the word had escaped Ethan's mouth before he could stop it and the next thing he knew, he was once again tumbling downwards, his mouth filling with blood at the contact the gun made with his jaw. Spitting out the blood onto the snow, its red colour contrasting dramatically with the white, he turned back to Barton who now approached Brandt. The analyst looked terrified, however stood strong, waiting for what was coming next. With a shove, he was sent to the floor, landing on his back in the cold snow with a thud. Before he could move, Barton brought his foot down onto Brandt's wounded hand. The analyst screamed in agony as the heavy boot put unimaginable pressure on his hand, Ethan only able to watch as he struggled against the weight.

Brandt suddenly stopped struggling when Barton fired a single gunshot into the snow next to his head. The agent froze as the gun was aimed at his head, fearing that he was about to die when the foot suddenly lifted off his hand. He sighed inwardly however felt a rough kick from the same foot and felt his lip split hideously. Barton walked away from the analyst and the man grabbed Brandt, pulling him back to his feet.

"You did all of this?" Ethan asked, remaining in his spot on the floor.

"But of course. What else would I have spent the last fifteen years doing if not planning my sweet and wondrous revenge against you?" Barton laughed, bending down next to the agent. "Just wait and see what I have in store for you." The man stood up again, this time approaching Benji, who was still unconscious. "Let's wake up little Benjamin here, shall we? He's missing out on all the fun." Reaching into his pocket, Barton pulled out a small item, hovering it under Benji's nose for a few seconds until the tech began to stir. When two blue eyes opened, Ethan saw Benji take in his surroundings before beginning to panic; he instinctively tried to pull away from the man holding him, however he was still too fragile and the grip was too strong. He was pulled in close to the man's torso and glanced at each of his friends as the gun was placed at his temple. He had no clue what had happened but he could tell that they were in serious trouble. He stood on weak legs cowering slightly as Barton stared him down. The other three agents could only watch as Barton gripped Benji's chin, forcing him to look up at him, and pushed the barrel of his gun into the point where the arrow had entered.

"No!" Brandt yelled and struggled against his captor's grip as he tried to reach out for his friend, only able to watch as Benji screamed at Barton's mercy. His cries echoed around them, travelling for miles before finally becoming lost in the winds of the Alps. The pain tore through him like a fire as the gun pressed hard against the wound. Ethan could see blood beginning to stain Benji's t-shirt as the wound bled freely again.

Benji clenched his teeth together as he tried to stop the pain, however he couldn't muffle the screams he was letting out. When the gun was finally removed, and Barton let go of his face, Benji sagged forward, breathing heavily. Barton gave him a sharp blow to the face before turning to Ethan.

"It seems Agent Dunn is in some terrible pain right now. Maybe I should put him out of his misery for you." Barton winked at Ethan, spinning on his heel to face Benji again. The tech's left eye was starting to bruise slightly and he glanced down to Ethan with pure terror in his eyes. He struggled when Barton gripped his chin again however the grasp his captor had on him meant that he couldn't prevent the man from shoving the barrel of his gun into his mouth. Benji whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut. Brandt and Jane's hearts raced as they waited for their friend's fate but suddenly there was a shout.

"Wait!" all eyes fell on Ethan, who was slowly getting to his feet. "Wait… please. I'll go with you, just leave them out of it. They have nothing to do with what happened." Barton smiled, removing the gun from Benji's mouth as tears silently fell from the technician's eyes. Brandt gave him a heartfelt glance before turning to look back at Ethan. Barton approached and stopped in front of him.

"I'm glad we have come to an agreement."

"On one condition. You get my friends to safety and let them go." Ethan almost growled his demand at Barton.

"But of course. You come with us, I'll send a helicopter to their location and have them flown to a hospital." Ethan glanced at each of his helpless teammates before making eye contact with Barton and nodding. "Good." He turned to his men. "Release them." Ethan watched as the men shoved his friends forward. Both Brandt and Benji collapsed onto the floor while Jane rushed to their side. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, as he was pushed towards the helicopter. The group of men climbed inside and the aircraft began to take off. Brandt crawled over to Benji, who lay on his back while Jane examined the wound, despite her arms screaming at her to stop. She could only hope that Barton would keep his word and send them help.

Inside the helicopter, Ethan stared down at his friends, watching them get smaller as they lifted higher into the air.

"One more thing." Ethan didn't take his eyes from the window. "Seeing as I'm not gonna get out of this alive, who was your inside man?"

"Donovan. Do you know him?" even though Ethan couldn't see him, he could tell by Barton's voice that the man was smiling.

"Yeah… I do…"

"Are we good to go, sir?" the pilot asked.

"Yes." Barton replied. "Kill them."

Ethan's eyes widened with horror. "What?" he spun to Barton who merely smiled evilly. "You said you would send them help!"

"Did I?" the man stared at Ethan as he panicked, unable to do anything but watch as the helicopter turned around and flew towards Brandt, Benji and Jane at full speed. He saw the pilot lift up a new handle and press a button. The sound of gunfire filled the air as round after round was sent hurtling towards the trio. The agents instinctively huddled closer, Jane throwing herself over Benji to protect him from the shots.

Eying a gun on the belt of one of Barton's men, Ethan quickly grabbed it, firing at each guard and then putting a bullet in the pilot's head.

"No!" Barton screamed as the helicopter began to lose altitude. Ethan ripped open the door and made to jump out. Barton lifted his gun as the agent threw himself into the air, firing one round that hit its target before the aircraft began to fall.

Back on the snow, Brandt looked up in time to see the helicopter lose control. The three agents stared at it, mesmerised as it went down; the ground shook as an explosion ripped through the area.

"Ethan…" Benji whispered before the pain and exhaustion finally overwhelmed him, his eyes rolling back into his head and his body going limp in Brandt's arms.

"Benji?" Brandt shook his friend as he watched the younger man's eyes close. The tech remained unresponsive as Brandt reached his uninjured hand to check his pulse. "Benji!"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Yes, yes, another cliffie…. But that's just how I roll!  
>Ok… can't believe I just said that… LOL!<br>Anyway, let me know what you thought…  
>Much love x<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_Ok, well here's your next chapter. Hope it's still up to standards :)  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Brandt?" Jane's voice seemed miles away. When had he passed out? Opening his eyes, he realised that he was lying on a stretcher and was no longer outside. He could hear the whirring of the helicopters rotors above him and looked up to see Jane. She was sitting next to him, her arms bandaged to cover the wounds.

"Jane?" he was confused. "What happened?"

_Brandt felt Benji's pulse slowing down and panicked. "Benji!" he yelled, his voice mixed in with the sounds of the flames coming from the nearby explosion._

_"Brandt! Stay there! I'm gonna go look for Ethan!" Jane shouted, running down the slope and disappearing amongst the snow. Brandt's immediate thought was to reply much like he had done to Ethan when they first met – 'Where else am I gonna go?' – but he decided against it. He was too worried about the safety of his friends to make sarcastic comments like that. Reaching up to place a reassuring hand on Benji's forehead, he gently stroked the blonde hair, hoping that it would give the tech a feeling of safety despite his unconscious state. He could see the bruise that surrounded his eye and the tiny cut at the end of his eyebrow caused by the forceful punch Barton had given him. Brandt then looked down at his own hand; the bandage was now soaked through with blood due to what Barton had done earlier. If his hand was in that state he dreaded to think how bad Benji's wound must have been. He could feel himself getting more and more exhausted; every slight movement caused him to feel drained. Letting himself fall back, he lay on the cold surface of the snow and closed his eyes to try and fight his growing sense of nausea._

_Jane ran to the crash site, her stomach doing frantic somersaults with every step she took. Her arms screamed at her to stop moving, but she ignored the pain and carried on. She had to find Ethan. As she got closer to the wreck of the helicopter, the heat hit her. It would have been a pleasant change from the freezing cold she had endured over the past twenty four hours, however under the circumstances she didn't feel good about it. Stumbling over scattered debris, she searched the flaming wreckage for her friend._

_"Ethan!" she coughed as the smoke irritated her throat and lungs. "Ethan!"_

_"Jane…" the voice that weakly called her name was distant yet familiar. Spinning on the spot, she looked out away from the wreckage to see where the voice came from._

_"Ethan?" she couldn't see him anywhere._

_"Jane." The voice was stronger this time, but just as distant._

_"Where are you?" she called out into the icy wilderness, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend. Darting her eyes across the vast landscape, her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Suddenly, across a snowy slope, she saw movement. Running towards it with all her remaining strength, she got closer and realised that it was her teammate. "Ethan!" she dropped to her knees next to where he was attempting to crawl in the snow. She could see that he had a broken arm as it lay painfully twisted on the ground but what worried her more was the obvious gunshot wound in his back. Rolling him onto his back, she cradled him in her arms, the memories of Trevor's death rushing back and hitting her like a freight train. She had to blink a few times in order to convince her eyes to show her what she was actually seeing, pushing aside the image of Hanaway that was flooding her vision. Holding him close, she looked back to where Brandt and Benji both now lay still, begging inside for them to be alright._

_"Don…." Ethan tried to speak, rapidly losing the ability to keep his eyes open._

_"What? Ethan, what is it?" Jane spoke as he grabbed for her hand._

_"Dono-Donovan…" his voice was merely a whisper now. "Barton's inside man…" with that, he lost consciousness._

_Suddenly, there was the sound of a helicopter. When Jane looked up, she noticed that it was not one, but two helicopters. Jane was initially filled with the fear that Barton may have had more backup however a voice came over a speaker and reassured them that they were going to be taken care of. When the choppers landed, medics ran across to each duo, explaining that once the bottom of the mountain had been cleared, the owner of the building had told them there were people staying in the cabin._

_The team was split up, Ethan and Benji placed in one helicopter due to the severity of their injuries, Brandt and Jane in the other. She watched from afar as the team leader and technician were lifted on their stretchers into the helicopter and disappeared from sight. Jane sat in the seat and let one medic patch up her wounds while another looked at Brandt's hand._

_From the outside, one may think that it was over for them, however it was far from over._

Brandt listened to her explain the previous events and his immediate thoughts were his teammates.

"How were Ethan and Benji when they took them?"

"As far as I know, they stabilised them both for the journey to the hospital and are planning to get them both into surgery as soon as they arrive."

"Good." Brandt let his head drop back onto the pillow and let out a sigh.

"There's one more thing." Jane began and Brandt lifted his head back up, worried. "Ethan told me the name of Barton's mole. He must have got it out of him before the chopper went down."

"Who?"

"Donovan." Jane saw recognition in Brandt's eyes and he nodded. "Now, what say we get ourselves sorted and go find this son of a bitch." Brandt was quite shocked at her tone of voice however had to nod and smile slightly. They had brought Barton down and were now going to stop Donovan. All that was left after that was Benji and Ethan recovering.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Hope you liked!  
>Much love x<em>

_P.S purehalo – apologies for making you get strange looks xD hahaha!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Ok, so the story was going to head in a different direction to this however thanks to an idea from the wonderful CrazyBeaver, I have changed it slightly. I hope you enjoy this turn of events!_

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

It took a lot longer than they had hoped, but Jane and Brandt were soon released from the hospital on heavy prescriptions of medication. They had been told by the doctors to rest, however neither agent took their advice. Brandt had been told he was lucky, that the bullet just missed causing him the need for serious surgery, however he would still need some minor work done. Brandt had acknowledged the doctor's words as he filled out his release form, much to the older man's disbelief. Jane had also been given some strict instructions which she had absolutely no intention of following. She had been shot before – granted, it wasn't twice that time – so she knew how to take care of herself.

The pair met outside and discussed what they had to do. After intense research, they had found out that Donovan was in the same country; obviously overseeing things for Barton. They had found out where he was staying and decided to go after him straight away. They knew it wouldn't be easy in their current condition, but then again, when was anything they did ever 'easy'?

Brandt's hand was strapped up but he refused to wear any sort of aid as he knew it would hinder his performance. He didn't need anything else causing him grief over the fact that he now had to carry his gun in his right hand. Jane had also refused to use any form of sling for her arms. She knew she really should, however there was no way she could properly bare a weapon wearing those.

The pair drove in silence to their location, both knew the other was thinking about their friends. Both Ethan and Benji had been taken to a different hospital across town which, as doctors had told them, could cater to their needs better. Brandt and Jane understood and waited to hear something, but so far there hadn't been any news. That could be taken both ways – no news is good news, as they say, however it also meant that there was no actual good news. When they reached the house, the sun had already gone down. The duo exited the vehicle and made their way to the front door, ringing the doorbell. After a few moments, nothing had happened. Jane reached out and pressed the button again, however there was still no answer.

"Not in?" Brandt asked, glancing around to the garage. "No car in the driveway."

"We'll come back tomorrow. For now, let's head to the hospital, see how Ethan and Benji are doing." Jane suggested and when Brandt nodded in agreement, the pair headed back to the car.

Following the directions the doctors gave them, they found themselves arriving at the second hospital, heading inside as quickly as they could in order to find out how their friends were doing.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked as they approached the desk.

"Hi, we were wanting to find out how are friends are doing, they were brought here for surgery earlier today."

"Of course, ma'am. What are the patients names?"

"Ethan Hunt and Benjamin Dunn." Brandt explained. The pair waited as she typed the names into her computer.

"Are you sure they are the correct names?" the receptionist asked, resulting in confused looks from both agents.

"Excuse me?" Jane asked, not knowing what she meant.

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have any patients under the names Hunt or Dunn. Are you sure they were brought to this hospital?"

"Yes." Brandt began. "We were caught up in an avalanche last night. We were taken to the hospital on the other side of town to be treated but the doctors said that our friends were being brought here for surgery."

"Just hold on one moment, please. I'll go and find out." The receptionist stood up and disappeared into the back room, leaving the two confused agents to stare blankly at the empty space before them.

"What the hell is going on, Brandt?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't like it…" Brandt was cut off by the door opening and an older male doctor appearing.

"Hello, I hear you are looking for your friends."

"Yes, we are." Jane responded eagerly, hoping that there would be some valid explanation for all this.

"We were expecting two patients from the avalanche. Two males, both with severe wounds… One was a gunshot wound, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, we were told to prepare for them however at the last minute, the medic from the chopper contacted us and said that the other hospital were now able to take them."

Brandt and Jane exchanged worried glances before nodding.

"Uh, thank you, doctor." Brandt forced a smile and the pair headed back outside. "Alright, what the hell?"

"I don't know… but I have a fear that Donovan might not have given up just because Barton is dead…"

"And you think he, what? Commandeered the second chopper and took Ethan and Benji? But to where? Barton's dead." He did have a very good point. Who else would Donovan need to be reporting to now that Barton was out of the picture? Brandt pinched the bridge of his nose in between his fingers. It was bad enough that Donovan had disappeared and they couldn't find him, but now Ethan and Benji were missing. This made things a whole lot worse. Now that Barton was out of the way, they weren't sure who Donovan was answering to. The game had changed; this meant that they couldn't be sure of who they were dealing with and what this new player was capable of.

"Alright, let's head back to his house and see if there is anything that Barton might have sent him. Anything that indicates where he's taken Benji and Ethan."

"Ok." Brandt climbed into the driver's side of the car and they set off. They needed to find Donovan. Ethan and Benji's lives now depended on it.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_*insert dramatic music here* hehe  
>Much love x<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_Ok, so here's the next chapter because I have too much time and not enough will power haha  
>Thank you to Alex Kade for pointing out that I forgot about Brandt's injured foot in the last chapter. It is still injured and it is mentioned in this chapter. Sorry about that folks.<br>Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The world came swimming back to Ethan and the pain hit him like a truck. His eyes opened quickly and he tried to overcome the nausea he felt. The room around him was blurry; however he could tell straight away that he really shouldn't have been there. Glancing around him, he saw that he was in a small room, lying on a bed. Across his chest, hips and legs, there were three thick straps holding him down and preventing him from making any movement other than lifting his head. When he did find the strength to crane his neck, he noticed that to his left, there was another bed, strapped to which, was Benji. From what he could tell, the tech was alive but still unconscious, his head was flopped to the side and his eyes shut almost peacefully.

"Benji…" he whispered. He could hear voices from outside the shut door and worried what was going on. The last thing he remembered was lying in Jane's arms after the explosion. Did they have Jane and Brandt too? When his friend still hadn't responded, he tried again. "Benji? Can you hear me?" he saw the younger man open his eyes and felt a rush of relief; the relief mixed with his nausea and made his head spin, however he was just happy that the tech was ok. His friends had been caught up in this mess because of him. They had been shot, tortured, buried alive and now one had been abducted alongside him, all because of something Ethan did almost two decades ago. They didn't deserve this.

"Ethan?" Benji blinked a few times. Of course! The last time Benji would have seen Ethan was getting into the helicopter before it exploded. He probably thought Ethan was dead.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"What happened? Where the hell are we?" his voice was groggy but full of emotion as he looked around in an attempt to figure out where they were.

"I don't know, but I know who Barton's inside man was and I think he might have-" Ethan was cut off by the door flying open. A strange man walked into the room, quickly followed by a smaller man who Ethan recognised to be Donovan.

"Ah, you're awake!" the stranger said.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked. The man walked in between the two beds and smirked.

"Let's just say I'm a friend of Mr Barton's. I hear that you killed him earlier today." The man glanced between Ethan and Benji before shaking his head and turning back to Donovan.

"Ok, so I got you Hunt. Now please, just tell them to let Maria go." Ethan listened to Donovan talk and understood immediately. Maria was Donovan's wife. He assumed that Barton had used her to get the agent to do his bidding.

"Yes, you got me Agent Hunt. But why on earth did you bring the other one?" the man seemed to be rather angry, causing both Benji and Ethan to fear what would happen.

"I-I couldn't help it…" Donovan stuttered, looking terrified as the man loomed over him, his shadow plummeting his tiny form into darkness. "He was in the chopper too and I couldn't just throw him out along the way, could I?"

"So you just decided to kidnap two agents instead of one. And now I'm left to clean up your mess. It's a good job I was prepared for a situation like this." The man shook his head, lifting something from the back of his jeans that looked a little too much like a gun for Ethan's liking. "I'll let your wife go, don't you worry, Donovan." The smaller man showed slight relief however it lasted only a few seconds before the bullet travelled through his skull and lodged itself into the wall behind him. Ethan's heart started to race and Benji squeezed his eyes shut. The technician may have shot someone in the head before, however it didn't mean that he liked the sight. He took a few deep breaths to stop himself from shouting and reopened his eyes.

"Now." The man said. "Where were we?"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The door to Donovan's house burst open as Jane kicked it. Brandt wished he could have done it himself, however his damaged ankle wouldn't allow him to put his full weight on it, let alone kick with it. They made their way inside the silent building and searched the rooms. The house was dark and dismal; there were no signs that it was lived in. As they reached the kitchen, Jane heard Brandt speak up.

"Here." He whispered. They were pretty sure that the house was empty, however they still wanted to be careful. A single mistake now could mean Benji and Ethan's lives. Jane approached Brandt and saw that he was standing next to a door which she assumed would lead to a basement. Brandt grasped the handle and mouthed the countdown before throwing it open. The pair readied their guns and descended the staircase, disappearing into the darkness of the basement. Finding the light switch, Brandt flicked it, letting the room be flooded with light as they looked around. In one corner, there was a desk that was covered in papers. Hitting the button on the lamp that sat in the middle, Jane lifted up some documents, reading over the writing on them.

_Mr Donovan._

_It may interest you to know that I currently have your beautiful wife, Maria, staying as a guest in my house. Now, if you want her returned to you safely, I would like you to wait for my phone call. When I contact you, you will do everything that I tell you to and once you have completed your job, I will give Maria back._

_I will be in touch._

_Jeffrey Barton._

Jane read the letter and instantaneously realised what was going on. __

"Brandt." She handed the letter to him and read a few more. One was stapled to four other pieces of paper. Each document had a photograph and information about the four agents.

_Mr Donovan,_

_As you can see, I have attached the files as I mentioned on the phone. I wish for you to send them on a mission in which they are sent to a cabin in the Alps. I have included the information about said cabin and how you need to get them there. I don't care what ruse you utilise, just get them there. Now, reports say that there is due to be an avalanche sometime soon which will be the perfect opportunity to cover our tracks. There is a train cart carrying all the weaponry you need, as I would like you to ensure that at least one of these people is severely injured, if not killed during your plan._

_After you have done this, I wish for you to stay in the country just to be sure our plans go well. I have included an address of a house you may stay in while you are there, along with the information regarding the arrival of your weapons. I will be in the country the day after the avalanche and will travel up with some men to ensure that Hunt and his team have been taken care of._

_Should something go wrong and I do not make it out of this, I have my right hand man, Greg Chambers, waiting in a cabin nearby. If you can obtain Hunt, take him to the address below and Chambers will do as he has been instructed._

_Once you have completed your tasks, we will have your wife released and you can go back to working for your corrupt company._

_Sincerely,_

_Jeffrey Barton._

"Brandt, I think I know where Donovan took Ethan and Benji." Jane spun to look at him, showing him the letter. As he read it, he shook his head.

"I can't believe how much trouble this guy went to just to get back at Ethan." Shoving the letter into his pocket he nodded at Jane and the pair headed back outside to the car.

They just hoped that they would get there in time.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_


	13. Chapter 13

_Ok, so we got some MAJOR whump in this chapter… Hope it is to your liking!  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Benji had lay in silence as the man towered over their restrained forms. Neither knew what was going to come next, however what they did know was that it wouldn't be good.

"It's a real shame that you killed Barton, you know?" the man spoke up after what seemed like a lifetimes worth of silence. "He would have loved to watch me tear into you, Hunt. Especially after what you did."

"He brought it on himself." Ethan retorted, hoping to keep their captor's attention on him to save Benji any more pain. Every breath Ethan took caused him agony, his broken arm screaming for medical assistance; however he didn't want to be responsible for anything else happening to Benji. He saw the man approaching and before he could comprehend what was happening, Ethan's head snapped to the side as the man delivered a powerful punch to his cheek; he felt the skin split immediately.

"Stop it!" Ethan's stomach turned at Benji's yell. _Benji, don't be stupid, I'm trying to save your ass here! _He thought as he glanced over to the tech. The younger man threw him a heartfelt look before it changed to a terrified one as the man approached him.

"What was that?" the man bent down and gripped his captive's blonde hair, pulling it so that his face was merely inches from Benji's. Ethan saw the tech shaking as the hot breath danced across his cheek. When Benji didn't respond, the man laughed. "I thought so." He stood up straight again and walked back to Ethan. "So what were we discussing? Oh of course, you betraying Barton all those years ago." Ethan caught a glimpse of Benji's bewildered expression before his head was flying to the side again. Ethan blinked away the black spots, trying hard to stay conscious for the fear of what this man would do to Benji once the team leader was no longer awake.

"I did not betray him."

"He took you in and looked out for you and you turned on him!" Ethan watched as the man reached out for something; his stomach instantly began to do somersaults when he realised that it was a rather large knife. On the next bed, Benji's heart began to race; a mixture of fear and confusion washed over him as he worried about what the man had planned. He could only watch as their assailant approached Ethan and lifted the blade to his uninjured cheek. He saw the sharp edge slide down his friend's cheek with ease as a trail of blood dripped down his face and along his neck, tingling his skin before falling onto the bed below him.

"Leave him alone!" Benji couldn't stop the words escaping his lips, hoping that the man would stop hurting Ethan. However when the man stood again and looked over at him, Benji realised that he hadn't really thought that plan through. As the man walked over to a bag in the corner of the room, he pulled out a long strip of material and made his way to Benji.

_Well at least he's not causing Ethan more pain… _Benji thought as the man got closer, his heart beating faster by the second.

"I'd like you to shut up now, ok? Let the grown-ups do the talking." As he spoke, the man shoved the rag into Benji's mouth, lifting the tech's head so he could tie the ends behind him. Once the gag was secured, he straightened up. Before he went back to Ethan, however, he smirked evilly. "How about we give you one to match, huh?" neither Benji nor Ethan could do anything to stop the man lifting the knife and repeating his action, leaving a stinging gash along Benji's cheek. Ethan saw a tear escape the corner of Benji's eye and had finally had enough.

"Hey! Stop that! This has nothing to do with him. Just let him go."

"Let him go?" the man turned away from Benji, who was breathing heavily. "Why on earth would I want to do that? A) He knows too much and B) I've just realised what a useful asset he is in getting to you." Ethan's stomach churned even more at the second point, realising that Benji was now going to suffer even more for his past actions. Watching, mesmerised, he saw the man stand over Benji as if wondering what to do next. The tech was terrified, clearly he had realised what the man had meant, however Ethan saw that he was trying to be strong. Silence fell over the three men as their captor looked Benji up and down. "I know!" Both men practically stopped breathing at the exclamation as they wondered what the man had in store. Benji couldn't move his arm away as the man grasped it and turned it over so that his palm was face down on the bed. Shifting the younger agent's arm so that the entire top of his forearm was visible, he then rested the blade against it. "How about we show Agent Dunn here the true suffering you've made Barton feel over the past fifteen years, huh?"

"No…" Ethan tried to yell, but as he saw the man slide the blade across Benji's arm, his voice got lost in his throat and came out as a whisper.

"One…" the man declared, the pure malice in his voice sending chills down Ethan's spine as he lifted the blade again. "Two…" he made an identical gash parallel to the first. "Three…" another gash. "Four…" another slice and another scream of pain from Benji, muffled by the gag. Tears rolled freely down the technician's cheeks as the man continued to slice, counting fifteen matching cuts across his forearm. Ethan struggled harshly against the straps, wanting nothing more than to take away the pain Benji was feeling.

"Stop it! Just stop!"

"There." The man stood up, looking down at Benji's arm as an artist would do when admiring his work. "One for every year. Now…" he turned back to Ethan. "What games can we play next?" grabbing his gun again, he held it in one hand while the knife rested in the other. He glanced between each weapon as if choosing which to 'play with' first. Grasping the gun firmly in his hand, he lifted the weapon and fired a single bullet which tore through Ethan's right shoulder.

As if one gunshot wound wasn't bad enough.

As Ethan writhed with the pain, the man smirked and moved to Benji, who barely had enough strength in him to show signs of terror. He merely laid his head flat on the bed underneath him, trying to prepare himself for whatever came next. The pain in his arms caused his mind to swim and his vision to haze over as he watched the man lift the blade to his throat. Another tear fell from half lidded eyes as he waited for his inevitable fate.

"I have more fun planned for Ethan here, but let's put you out of your misery, shall we?" Ethan turned his head, not really wanting to watch however hoping that his friend might see the sincere sorrow and apology in his eyes however he saw that the younger man had closed his eyes in preparation. Ethan squeezed his own eyes shut and held his breath; unable to watch his friend be murdered for _his_ mistakes.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the door burst open. Ethan and Benji both reopened their eyes to see Brandt and Jane standing in the doorway, injuries and all. Their captor spun around, leaving the knife resting against Benji's neck while he pointed the gun at Ethan's head.

"Ah, agents Carter and Brandt. Come to join the party, have we? Don't worry, you haven't missed much. In fact, we're just getting started." He grinned evilly as both Brandt and Jane aimed their guns at his head.

"Put the weapons down, Chambers, and you might walk away with your life." Jane spoke with such intensity that even Ethan felt shivers.

"I somehow doubt I'll be walking away with my life, but I think I might take your friends here with me." Before he could tighten his grip on the knife or trigger, both agents fired, numerous bullets dispensing into his head and torso. As the collapsed to the ground, Ethan let his head flop back onto the bed, feeling Jane rush to release him. Glancing over, he saw Brandt doing the same for Benji.

"Brandt… is he… ok?" he could barely talk as he felt himself losing the battle with unconsciousness.

"He's alive, Ethan. But he's out for the count." Ethan looked across and saw that Benji had already lost his fight, however he was relieved that it wasn't a slumber that he wouldn't wake up from.

Hopefully.

As Brandt limped across the room, carried Benji's motionless form out of the door, Ethan looked up at Jane. Although his vision was blurry, he could see the familiar kindness in her eyes as she ran a gentle hand across his hair.

"You're gonna be fine, ok? We're gonna take you the hospital ourselves this time."

"Good…" Ethan breathed, smiling before letting unconsciousness take hold.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well? Whumpy enough for ya? Haha!  
>Much love x<em>


	14. Chapter 14

_Well, here it is people. The final chapter. I hope that I have ended it well. Thank you for your amazing reviews and support while I wrote this :) you're all amazing!  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane and Brandt drove back to the hospital in silence. Even though they had defeated Barton and Chambers, when they had two unconscious agents in the back with life threatening injuries, it was hard to feel celebratory. The second they arrived at the hospital, they were out of the car and calling for help. Doctors rushed out with stretchers and Jane watched helplessly as both Ethan and Benji were lifted onto them and wheeled inside. She and Brandt followed them as far as they could until a nurse stopped them.

"I'm sorry, but you need to stay here. We'll let you know what happens." Neither agent wanted to let their friends out of their sight again, worried for what would happen this time, however they had to nod. Walking to the side of the hall, they chose to two chairs closest to the doors and sat down.

Each second seemed like a minute. Each minute an hour. They needed to know that their friends were alright. The pair sat watching doctors and nurses pass by discussing other patients. He knew it was their job, but Brandt only wanted to hear about two specific patients. Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into them, instantly regretting it when a surge of pain shot through his injured hand at the contact.

"I feel so useless…" he wasn't sure whether he said it to Jane or himself, but the other agent turned to him and rested a weary hand on his shoulder. It felt like neither of them had slept for weeks. Yet it had only been twenty four hours since they were trapped in that cabin. They hadn't thought that they would make it out of there alive, but they had. Now they just had to hope that Ethan and Benji pulled through.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Inside one of the theatres, the doctors frantically worked to save the agent's life. It was a race against the clock to save him, but they were still going to try their hardest.

Suddenly, the monitor began to beep rapidly and the doctors panicked.

"Get some more hands in here! We're losing him!"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Outside the doors, Jane and Brandt heard the sound of footsteps and looked up quickly. Doctors were running towards the theatres, the looks on their faces displayed both stress and anxiety. Jane rose to her feet immediately and tried to get the attention of one of the doctors, Brandt not far behind her.

"Excuse me?" she spoke as loud as she could, trying to be noticed. "Excuse me! What's going on?" the doctors continued to pass them as they ran into the theatre. They heard someone mention that a patient going into cardiac arrest. Jane turned to Brandt; both of them knew that it was either Ethan or Benji. Brandt reached out and grabbed one of the doctor's arms.

"What's happening?"

"We're having some issues but we're trying to fix it. Just stay here please."

"But which patient is it?" Jane asked. She didn't want to know the answer. At the end of the day, one of her friends was dying. Which one is was remained irrelevant; the man thing was that they saved them.

"I don't know, I'm sorry. Just please, wait here. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything."

With that, the doctor disappeared and within seconds, the hall had cleared so that only Jane and Brandt remained. Wrapping his arms around her, Brandt pulled Jane in close as they waited on news.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_**Two Weeks Later**_

The atmosphere was solemn, as it would be at an occasion like this. Leaves fell from the trees and landed on the ground as the group of people walked across the grass to their destination. The air was crisp and cold, the breeze nipping at their cheeks as they made their way to the spot where the man would be laid to rest.

It was never easy burying a fellow agent; especially one who died far before his time.

The three agents stood in front of the grave as the coffin was lowered into the ground, watching as they said farewell. Jane let her head rest on Brandt's shoulder as they watched. Brandt then let his free arm, fall over Benji's shoulders, the younger agent looking across at him and smiling weakly. The bruising around his eye had almost gone now, however the gash on his cheek was there to stay. Brandt offered a small smile in return before the three turned back to the grave. They stood in silence as the priest spoke, his voice travelling on the wind.

"Hey…" a soft voice came from behind them, a whisper so as not to disturb the ceremony. The three turned and smiled as Ethan stood next to Benji. "Sorry I'm late." Ethan glanced across at Maria Donovan as she grieved over her husband's body. They were sure that she didn't have a full understanding of his death, but she knew that it shouldn't have happened.

The four teammates stood and watched her throw a handful of dirt onto the grave before giving into the sobs that she had been fighting. They watched as her sister pulled her into an embrace and let her cry into her shoulder. With that, the team decided to leave. Let the family mourn their loss without having to see the people who watched it happen. Despite the fact that Donovan had helped Barton do what he did, at the end of the day, he had done it to save his wife. He was a good man and had not deserved to die.

As they walked across the graveyard, Benji turned to Ethan.

"Ethan, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Ethan turned to the younger man, showing off the similar stitches on his own cheek.

"What was Chambers talking about that day? When he mentioned what happened between you and Barton."

Ethan sighed. "Benji, that's in the past-" he was cut off.

"But Ethan, after what we all went through, do you not think you owe us that much?" Ethan looked into Benji's blue eyes, seeing the sincerity in them. Ever since the ordeal in the Alps, the usual fun loving personality had slipped away slightly, revealing the effect the events had had on him. Glancing at Brandt and Jane, they were both giving him similar looks, waiting to be told. Benji was right. They had been put through hell because of what happened all those years ago. The least he could do was tell them what caused it. With a deep breath, he began to speak.

"Fifteen years ago…" he paused, remembering the moment when Chambers had sliced fifteen gashes in Benji's arm. "I was working an undercover op in a criminal group. The leader of that group was Barton. I was sent in as a new member, trying to get information so that we could stop him doing his deals. Barton accepted me into the group, practically took me under his wing and treated me like a son. They had chosen me because I was physically similar to Barton's biological son, who had been killed two years earlier. He tried to look out for me and when push came to shove and we brought him down, he was destroyed. I know I shouldn't feel sympathetic for doing that, it was my job; but to this day, I've regretted taking that mission. I promised myself that I would never do something like that again. I never wanted to live with the regret of another lie."

Brandt glanced at Ethan as he said those words, his mind immediately jumping to Julia, however that lie was different. That lie was to protect her. He nodded in understanding as Ethan finished talking.

"And Barton did all this to get vengeance for it?" Jane asked, despite knowing the answer already.

"Yeah. I'm just so sorry that you guys got caught in the crossfire. I would have given myself to keep you guys safe."

"We know you would, Ethan." Benji placed a hand on his shoulder, making eye contact. "Just, if you have any other murderous people in your past that may want to kill you and possibly us, please can you give us a heads up?" Ethan smiled and nodded. "Ok, now let's go get some lunch, I'm starving."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_That's all folks!  
>Much love x<em>


End file.
